Crafting in action
The
Messy Church on Sunday 29 October
took as the theme, the parable of the foolish and
wise
virgins, which for our afternoon became the wise and foolish bridesmaids. Our
crafts, activities and time of celebration in the church made us think
about how ready we are to respond to Jesus when
He calls,
The afternoon helped us understand why we need to be prepared for Jesus now – and not putting it off until later!
 At
first read, this appears to be a really unfair story – why didn't
the five wise girls offer to share their lamp oil with the foolish
ones? Thankfully, this isn't really a story about Jesus turning us away
for being forgetful. It's a story about being prepared.
Weddings
are so joyful; we eat good food, we see our friends, we celebrate love
and we party the night away. This is nothing compared with the wedding
feasts, Jesus would have attended, though. Just look at the wedding in
Cana (John 2:1-12). By all accounts, Jewish weddings were a sight to
behold - feasting and celebration for days. But imagine that joy
lasting forever! That's what we're promised in Jesus.
If we spend our lives in preparation for him, the joy we will inherit is immeasurable and unending.
Our crafts included:-
 Oil Lamps
- A jar was decorated, and a piece of string taped to
the top, sticking up like a wick. Oil could be placed in the jar, We
did not light the wick, but talked about how an oil lamp works:
why the wick needs to be trimmed; how the oil burns away, so extra is
needed. What do you think the oil in Jesus’ parable represents,
and why couldn’t the bridesmaids share it?
Splat the Rat. - This was
a fun activity. We waited for the rat to emerge from the rat run,
the pipe. We talked about patience, being prepared and waiting.
Edible Candles
- My favourite is usually something you can eat later. We used
marshmallows to make a candle, by threading them onto a stick, then
using icing to make a flame on the top. We stuck the
completed candle on a slice of jam rolypoly as a base. We talked
about how Jesus takes away the darkness and fills it with his shining
light.
Playing with Torches
- Using a variety of torches, and a pile of batteries, some of
which did not work/fit, the children to get the torches to work,
by replacing batteries, winding up torches etc. We talked about being
ready/prepared, having what you need.
Tin Lights
- Continuing with our lamps and light
theme, children hit nails through tins, using a
clothes peg to hold the nail. Neil Cape provided the help and safety on
this one. A battery operated night light was dropped into each one to
make the final lantern. We talked about how Jesus light shines in the
darkness.
Prayer Station
- A feature of all our Messy Church afternoons. A map of the
world, with pictures and information about where our natural resources
are running out, and lists of endangered animals and plants, encouraged
everyone to pray for the world. Just as the bridesmaids ran out of
oil, so some of our resources are running out too. We talked about what
we could do to help in any of the situations we have talked about. Do
we unknowingly help to destroy the world? What do we already do to
help?
Memory Game -
Bill Webster setup a table covered in playing cards face down. The
children took turns to turn over two cards. If they have a pair, they
keep them; if not, turn them face down again, and then it’s
someone else’s turn. We talked about concentrating on the job in
hand, rather than getting distracted. If you don’t stay focused
when someone else takes their turn, you might miss out.
At the celebration time in the church, Sheila Anderson introduced the puppets who performed 'This Little Light of Mine' followed by Joan Cape reading the parable of the 'Ten Bridesmaids', using helpers from the audience to act out the parts.
Actors from the audience help with the story
After our prayer we watched, sang and danced along to a video of 'This Little Light of mine' performed by dancing light bulbs.
Fun on the run at celebration time in the church
Lightning the candles | 
Puppets in action | 
Candles lit in church |
Back over in the church hall we enjoyed a hearty meal of Shepherds Pie followed by Apple Pie and custard, or chocolate cake.
Mealtime back in the hall
The next Messy Church will be on Sunday November 26th
4.00 to 6.00pm
For more information on Messy Church
Contact: Joan Cape 674276 capefamily@talktalk.net
Katrina McDonald kmcd11@yahoo.co.uk
Published - 30 October 2017
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